Talking Reckless
by If you feel the same for me
Summary: Sam walks into a club and see's a familiar face, much to the chagrin of his date.
1. Chapter 1

Sam walked into the jazz bar promptly at 8pm. It was gonna be one hell of a night, he could already tell.

The double date tonight should be fun. He and Puckerman had been dating twins for the past few months. It was fun. It was easy. It was drama-free. That's what Sam needed these days. No need for a serious relationship, just fun.

The atmosphere was alive and buzzing. A little acid jazz played over the sound system as the lounge singer and his band were preparing for the next set.

"Reservations?" The Maître d' asked as soon as the foursome walked up to the podium.

"Yes, uh, under Sam Evans?" Sam was definitely feeling the mood tonight.

"Ah, yes! Right this way sir." As Sam and his friends were heading toward their table, a familiar laugh caught his attention. He turned to his right and saw – sitting in a booth about two tables to his right- Mercedes Jones. Wow. There was a sight he hadn't seen in at least a year.

Well damn, Sam would have left his date at home if he'd have known he'd run into one Miss Mercedes Jones.

"Sam? Sam!" Sam's Date, snapped her fingers in front of him a few times before he was finally lured back to reality.

Once he came to, he noticed everyone had already been seated and looking at the menu. Sam slowly took his seat, not really lifting his eyes from Mercedes. Puck leaned over and asked "Hey, isn't that…?"

Sam huffed out a 'Yeah'. At that moment, as if she could sense what was happening a few feet away, Mercedes looked up and caught Sam's gaze. Damn.

Time pretty much stood still at this point.

"Okay, am I missing the punch line here?" Sam's date rolled her eyes. A gesture Sam didn't even notice.

Sam did little to even pretend to care about his date at this point. Mercedes was seemingly caught off guard sitting in the booth with her new… boyfriend? Nope, definitely fiancé. He could see the little something sparkling on the appropriate hand and finger.

Mercedes turned back to her date and pretended to laugh at whatever mind numbingly ridiculous story he was sure to be telling. Sam scoffed under his breath. Who was this dude? Yeah, yeah, so what if he was some- probably 6'2", deep dimples, model looking dude? He definitely couldn't put it down and make Mercy scream the way Sam always could. He was sure of that. Sam brought himself back to the conversation at his own table. He knew that his date would be getting suspicious if he didn't pay her at least a bit of attention. He liked to keep this- whatever they had- drama free. Simple.

Half way through dinner, a familiar tune from the band stopped Sam dead in his tracks.

"So… I am gonna change it up a bit for you guys tonight. It's a classic and a favorite of mine. Hope you guys like my rendition on this MJ classic… Here is 'Human Nature'."

As the opening notes began to play, Sam looked up and directly into Mercedes gaze. Mercedes blushed and smiled into her glass of wine.

A thousand memories floated back to Sam's consciousness. Memories of the 2 years they were together. Late nights. Early mornings. Meeting her family. Her meeting his. Bonding over good music and great wine. Sitting on her living room floor for hours playing vinyl records and discussing…life. 'Human Nature' was significant. Sam finally made it up to Mercedes apartment after date number 4, and they talked about Michael all night. 'Human Nature' was playing when they first kissed. 'Lady of My Life' played as they moved toward the bedroom.

At that moment, Sam saw Mercedes grab her jack and head toward the valet stand outside.

"Check Please!" Sam flagged down the waiter.

"Dude. We barely finished dinner. What are you doing?" Puck gave him a confused glare.

"Yeah, I uh, I'm not feeling too good so, I think I need to leave. You guys take care of the check?" Sam pulled out his wallet and placed his credit card on the table.

"Dinner is on me. Sorry guys." Sam raced toward the valet stand. Almost tripping over his feet to catch up to her.

"You seem happy." Sam eased up behind Mercedes in the valet line. He had to say something to Mercedes before her car came around.

"I am. Engaged. 6 months." Mercedes turned toward Sam. Her expression unreadable.

"Ya know, I would have left my date at home had I known you'd be here tonight."

"Sam. Don't. Please." Mercedes had a pleading tone to her voice. It was as if Sam could say just the right thing to make her forget her Fiancé was on the other side of the restaurant door.

"Well, all I have to say is, I know how much of an… appetite you have. I hope he fulfills all your needs, Mercy." Sam gave that lopsided grin. Hoping it would make her swoon like it used to.

"Sam. You know why we are where we are. If my man even sees us out here talking, he will have questions. And that's a conversation I don't know if I'm ready to have." Mercedes turned back toward the curb, looking for the valet to bring her car around.

"I'm just talking reckless Mercy. You know how my ego can get the best of me. Especially when I run into the love of my life engaged to someone else."

Mercedes stopped breathing in that moment. She quickly turned around and let out a short gasp.

"Hey babe- everything okay?" Mercedes' fiancé stepped outside of the restaurant door and gave Sam a sideways glance.

"Yeah baby. No problem. Just waiting on the valet." Mercedes exhaled.

Sam knew when to step back. And he did just that. He had to try though. Anytime he ran into Mercedes, he'd have to try. He wouldn't give a damn about who she was seeing, he knew what they would always have.

Right then, the valet pulled around with Mercedes' S500. Sam mind drifted to memories of the things they did in that car.

He watched as Mercedes and her fiancé got into the car and pulled off. At that moment, Puck and the twins joined him outside.

"Who was that?" Sam's date snarled.

"A friend." Sam murmured. Not even looking in his date's direction, but rather still looking after the car that had long since driven away.

Just then Puck stepped up and whispered in Sam's ear "And here I thought time healed all wounds. She ripped that one wide open, huh?"

At that moment, Sam's phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him out of his thoughts. The text was from a familiar number.

_Mercy: Too bad we didn't fall in love at the same time…_


	2. At the Same Time

At The Same Time

**Pairing:** Sam/Mercedes

**Characters: **Sam Evans, Mercedes Jones, OMC

**Length & Rating:** 2500+ Words / PG 13 (Language)

**Summary: **Mercedes thinks about the text she sent and the events that led up to that night.

**AN: **Based off the song "At the Same Time" by Eric Roberson. Take a listen to it here (X).

_Shit. I shouldn't have sent that text. Damn. _

Mercedes chastised herself as she looked out the passenger side window, phone in hand.

"You okay babe? You seemed a bit stressed." Mercedes' fiancé peered at her from the corner of his eye. He could tell something was off with Mercedes about half way through dinner. He didn't want to push too much, but he had to ask anyway.

"Who was that guy anyway?"

"An old friend." Mercedes spoke barely above a whisper. "I have a slight headache. I just need some aspirin and sleep. I'll be fine."

As they rounded the corner and crept up the street toward her fiancés townhouse, Mercedes' mind kept drifting back to the events that occurred earlier in the night. Why did Sam of all people have to walk into the place tonight? Mercedes could have gone on living her whole life not seeing Sam Evans again.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

"I should have something to take care of that headache in the house." Mercedes fiancé spoke and his voice shook Mercedes out of her reverie. As he turned the car off and opened the door to slide out, Mercedes placed a hand on his knee.

"I think… I'll just head home actually." She offered up no further information.

Her fiancé stared at Mercedes for a long time. He started to say something and then promptly thought better of it. He slid out the driver side door, walked around to Mercedes' passenger side and opened her door. He held his hand out and looked at her. Clearly he wasn't taking no for an answer tonight.

"Seriously, I'll be fine. I have a busy day tomorrow and I should really go home." Mercedes gave a slight smile, hoping it'd ease some of the tension.

"Goodnight." Was all he said before her fiancé walked up toward his front door.

Mercedes knew that this wasn't the end of it. But she'd won this round for tonight. He was pissed, she could tell. No goodbye kiss or anything. _Ugh- this won't be any easier to explain tomorrow._ But at least it buys her sometime to clear her mind tonight.

Later as she lay awake in bed, the last two years flooded her memory. Sam Evans. The love of her life. Or so she thought. They were together for two years. And for 1 year and 9 months, everything was perfect. Discussions of moving in together and shared holidays came into play. Everything was great. Then friends started getting engaged. They grew out of the boyfriend/girlfriend stage into something more serious. Questions coming from all directions as to when they'd be next to tie the knot. At first it was easy to dodge those questions "_Oh_ _Please. We've only been dating a year. It's still new!"_ they'd say. Until year one started inching closer to two. Mercedes looked at Sam and knew this was her forever man. The conversations should have been easy but they weren't.

"_I never really saw myself as the marrying type." _Those were the words Sam offered up as an explanation when she brought up the subject between the two of them.

"_Then what the hell have we been doing all this time? And how come you never told me?" _She couldn't stop the bitterness and edge that crept into her voice. Not to get loud or anything, but seriously? _"We've been dating for two years, talked about moving in together… and this wasn't something you could have mentioned to me before?"_

"_I never thought you wanted any of that." _Now that was complete bullshit and they both knew it.

Sam started becoming distant. Going out with his friends more often and staying out later became the norm. She knew he wasn't insane enough to cheat on her and bring her some ungodly incurable disease. But the blatant disrespect for their relationship settled over them like a heavy fog too thick to dissipate.

"_I shouldn't have to call you three times in a row before you answer Sam." "You're always out with your boys. You have a girlfriend to tend to!" "I feel like I'm in this relationship alone Sam." _She felt herself saying these statements way more often than she ever felt she would need to with Sam.

One day while they were sitting on the couch, she – flipping through the channels and he- flipping through his phone, she turned to him and asked that question that had been rattling around her head.

"What's happening with us? Is this relationship wearing out its welcome with you?"

Sam could barely look her in the eye. "I just… I don't know if I'm ready for the kind of commitment you need from me."

And there it was. Sam had been dreading this conversation, hence his staying out late. He definitely didn't want to hurt Mercy. She was the longest relationship he'd ever had. She was amazing and wonderful and he definitely could see being with her forever. But the thought of being with one woman for ever and ever scared the shit out of him. He had love for her, but was he in love with her? The fact that he couldn't answer that with a solid yes is what made him stay out late, not answer her calls, and generally avoid the inevitable.

Mercedes smirked. She wasn't surprised. What she was, was extremely hurt. She would literally lay down her life for Sam, and it seemed he couldn't and wouldn't do the same. Why stay where she wasn't wanted, is what played in her mind.

Mercedes promptly picked up her keys, grabbed her jacket, and left Sam's place.

They didn't speak for two weeks. Relationship statuses were changed on Facebook. Photos removed from the wall. Keys returned. Mercedes was heartbroken. How did everything change so quickly?

Sam on the other hand thought it best that things ended when they did. Maybe this was for the best and she could be with someone who could give her everything. He was letting her be free of him without worry.

Initially, Sam went out with his boys. For the first two weeks, he is feeling a little cocky and was doing his thing, remembering what he was missing being in a committed relationship. He let Puck talk him into hitting up a few clubs. He stayed out way too late and drank way too much and had to ask himself, why was this better than what he had waiting at home before?

Week three it hits him. He is rushing toward Mercedes' apartment to gush about his new promotion at work. _It's about 5:15, she should be home from work. _He immediately grabs for his phone as he's half way to her apartment before realizing… She won't answer. He doesn't have her like that anymore. The first person he thinks to call and he has to think twice now.

That night, he calls Puck to hang out. Maybe if he's out and about, he can clear his head. Puck's headed out of town to visit his little sister. No one else answers. He settles at home watching some old re-runs of some reality show that he use to watch with Mercedes. He misses her. He almost calls her but stops himself. Stubborn.

A few days later with nothing to do yet again, he takes a trip to the mall. He can't sit at home another night. He sees the perfect ring _that would fit perfectly on Mercedes finger._ Whoa. Did he really just have that thought? As he heads back toward his car, he feels this dull ache that's been in his chest since Mercedes walked out of his place almost three weeks ago. On the way home, the thought settles on him _"A part of me is missing."_

They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else, right?

As soon as Puck is back in town, he commissions him to go skirt chasing. Puck is always down for this. They hit up a new club in town, Sam picks up some random chick – who looks nothing like Mercedes- and successfully gets her to agree to come home with him. It doesn't even feel right. As a matter of fact it feels completely wrong on so many levels. Half way to his house, he asks her where she lives and promptly drops her off at home. She calls him some meant-to-be-insulting name, but he doesn't even hear it. He needs to get back to Mercedes.

He finds himself outside of Mercedes' apartment at 3AM. He doesn't even know if she'll answer. It's been over a month since they've even spoken or seen each other. But he has to try. He always has to try when it comes to Mercedes. It's a thought that resonates with him and feels right. Like he'll be living in this truth for the rest of his life.

*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK*

"_Who the HELL is this at 3AM?" _Mercedes is awaken by an incessant knocking at her door. She sits up in bed and grabs her phone that's been buzzing for the last 15 minutes. Between knocking and the 3 missed calls from Sam, she can only guess who it could be.

"WHAT do you need?" Mercedes answers the door, full attitude, glaring at a disheveled and pitiful looking Sam Evans.

"You." He manages to say. Even half asleep and pissed off, she is a sight for sore eyes. "Can I come in?"

Mercedes sighs deep and heavily. "ONLY because I don't want my neighbors to call the cops. I just resigned this lease. I have to live with these people for at least another year." She steps aside and allows Sam to enter. Her last statement sinks in.

"You resigned the lease?" Sam asks, voice cracking a bit.

Mercedes chuckles a bit. "Oh? You thought I'd sit around and wait on your ass Sam? Thought I'd pray and pray that God would bring you to your senses and bring us back together? I could die holding my breath on that one." She rolled her eyes. His heart sank.

Seeing the look on Sam's face gave Mercedes a bit of gratitude. "Now you know how I felt. You couldn't give me what I needed remember?" She was laying it on thick and he deserved every bit of it.

"I… had a girl in my car tonight. She was going to come home with me. But… it didn't feel right. So I took her home and came straight here." Sam let those words go. Hoping they would do something to tilt this situation in his favor.

"And… that means what to me? Is that supposed to make me feel some kind of way? I gave you my entire heart for these last two years, only to be met at the end of it all with the age old "I can't give you what you need" bullshit line. That didn't feel right for me. So, you may want to call that girl and tell her you're coming back. Tell her she can pack an overnight bag and stay a while. We're done here." That felt good to get it off her chest. Mercedes had played this scenario over in her head a few times since she decided she was worth more than Sam was giving her and that she wouldn't go back even if he wanted her to.

"I don't want to try here Sam. You broke me in a way no other man could ever do. I refuse. It's only been a month and my heart is still raw and I just… I can't." The anger had subsided in Mercedes' voice by this point. Replacing it was truth and hurt.

"Listen Mercedes please. I miss you. I was a jerk. I know that now. I was scared I wouldn't be enough for you. That's why I pulled away. That's why I ran. I miss you. Us. I miss coming home to you. I miss your voice. I miss …"

Mercedes interrupted his monologue. "You had ALL that Sam. And now you don't anymore. So regardless of what you "miss", keep those memories close because there are no new ones here. I won't make the same mistake twice." There, the anger had returned.

"Mercy please, let me stay." Sam pleaded.

"What for?" Mercedes countered.

That hurt most of all for Sam. That statement alone shifted Sam out of his haze and back into reality. His efforts were falling on deaf ears. If she couldn't see why, then there was no point in pleading. Her heart was gone… maybe forever.

Defeated, Sam turned around and walked out of Mercedes' apartment. It was the last time either of the saw each other.

Until a full year later when he walked back into her world. Now here she was rethinking everything that happened over the last year.

Mercedes sat up in bed. From her window, she could see the sun just beginning to rise. It was almost 5AM. She hadn't slept a wink.

_Girl, a year ago you had this all figured out. NOW you're second guessing everything?_ The fact that her heart jumped the moment they locked eyes from across the room, spoke volumes to her. Also the fact that he was still trying even a year later also meant something. That's what made her think twice. He'd finally been in that position he'd left her in so long ago.

Once he walked out of her apartment and her life for good, she threw herself into her work, family, and her friends. Almost immediately she met the man that would become her fiancé. She convinced herself this was what was needed. Her friends all said "_The new guy will be good for you." _And he was. He was definitely good to her. He gave her anything she wanted, loved her with no conditions, and was everything Mercedes needed. But he wasn't Sam. When he proposed, she thought of how she desperately wanted his face to be Sam's. She felt guilty accepting his proposal when she knew she hadn't given him 100% of her heart. But… if you can't love the one you want, love the one you're with, right?

A text from her phone startled her out of her thoughts. She grabbed the phone and noticed immediately that it was from Sam. She was a bit disappointed it wasn't from her fiancé. She was being selfish she knew, but she wanted to be wanted by them both in this moment. She needed both her heart and her ego fed.

_Sam: It's not too late._

"Really Sam? Really?! FUCK!" Mercedes yelled out loud. Those were the last things she needed to hear. Because she wasn't sure if she could close Sam out as easy as she did before.

_Sam: I wish I had a choice on who I loved. _

_Sam: I realized what my heart had been telling me all along, a little too late._

_Sam: Seeing you last night changed nothing. _

_Sam: You know I always have to try. _

The text came in at rapid speed now. She just watched as each one lit up her screen, telling her everything she did not need to hear.

_Mercedes: Where do we go from here?_

_Dammit Mercedes. _She chastises herself once again._ Shouldn't have sent that text either._


End file.
